DANGER! contestants are not always known for their winning streaks.
From “hacking college emails” to arrests for “child sexual assault,” here are the biggest scandals from players of the past.
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Danger! has aired over 8,000 episodes, thousands of trivia-curious contenders from all over the US (and even Canada) buzzed in over the past few decades.
But even Ken Jennings, 47, and Mayim Bialik, 46, were chosen for the undecided guest podium because of a scandal.
They began filling in for the legendary Alex Trebek after his tragic passing in 2020 and after now disgraced executive producer Mike Richards was selected to replace him.
But after a week (or five episodes), Mike’s sexist comments resurfaced and he resigned.
According to The Ringer, Mike has previously made controversial comments about his podcast co-host Beth Triffon.
Mike called Beth a ‘booth ho’, ‘booth sl*t’ and ‘boothstitute’ among other things.
He also said of a pregnant Wheel of Fortune model who sued him in 2012 per Newsweek, “Come on, I’m firing five models. What are the chances that one of the ones I stay with will get pregnant?”
That said, he’s not the only Jeopardy! name whose biggest buzz turned into a scandal.
SUPER-CHAMP’S CYBER RESOURCES
Stephanie Jass won seven games in 2012 and $147,570 under Alex, who had run the show since 1984—the most games ever won by a female contestant.
The intelligent blonde was a semifinalist of the Tournament of Champions 2013 and was invited to the Battle Of The Decades 2014.
Stephanie didn’t attend the 30th anniversary event that alum Ken also attended, but she fought—and lost—another battle with the law.
Stephanie taught history at Adrian College in southern Michigan, and pleaded guilty in 2018 to the Lenawee Circuit Court charge of unauthorized access to computers.
She took advantage of a four-day campus-wide password reset to view messages sent or received by multiple faculty members — including the school’s president — according to the police report, per MLive.
Another professor was ‘briefed’ at a lunch meeting with Stephanie at a cafe, where she told what she was doing – and they told the police.
She told the professor that she had created a document “consisting of notes and comments and ‘problems'” regarding faculty members, as the fellow professor then told a detective.
The unauthorized access charge is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine – she was sentenced to probation due to her previous good standing with the law and was fired.
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‘CATCHED IN A VAN’
Jerome Slowik, then 28, was charged in Wisconsin in 2014 with second-degree sexual assault on a child, according to Wisconsin court records – the Chicago Tribune reported.
In 2012, I brought in $121,800 as a five-day Jeopardy! champion, not an easy feat.
He was accused of first meeting his alleged 15-year-old victim at a suburban shopping center where he worked as a security guard, police said.
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A week after meeting her on the job, police said Jerome and the 15-year-old Wisconsin woman were found together.
They were “topless in the backseat of a Hummer parked on a cul-de-sac near Lake Geneva in Wisconsin,” according to The Chicago Tribune.
The ‘suspicious vehicle that was in a dead end’.
“Officers saw a man and a woman in the vehicle, both partially clothed. The woman appeared to be under 18 years old.”
They agreed to meet, police said, and he drove to do so.
The girl had gone there with a friend, who later left her with Jerome, police said.
The girl told police the two went to the movies before driving on Highway 50 and looking for a parking spot, according to the outlet and the complaint filed by the Walworth County District Attorney’s office.
He was arrested, but his sentencing was postponed in 2015 – he did not participate in the next Tournament of Champions.
“He will receive a small jail term and five years’ probation,” a blog said citing a local retailer – though the specific amount is unknown.
‘BAD SIGN’
Another contestant had no legal issues, but they did have quite the on-screen scandal.
Kelly Donohue seemingly flashed a hand gesture associated with white supremacy during his 2021 episode.
The infamous “okay” gesture resulted in over 450 former Jeopardy! contestants sign an open letter calling on the show to address the incident.
Kelly, however, seemed to really regret it, releasing a statement condemning white supremacy and apologizing for the “terrible misunderstanding” that resulted.
“I am truly shocked by what has been posted about me on social media. I absolutely and unequivocally condemn white supremacy and racism of any kind,” Kelly wrote in a Facebook post.
“People who know me personally know that I am not a racist, but to the general public it must be reiterated: I am not a racist and I reject and condemn white supremacy and all forms of bigotry for the evil that they are.
I find it embarrassing to think that anyone would attempt to stage . to use Danger! to advance or promote such an unsavory agenda.”
Donohue also echoed his earlier statement, in a since-deleted Facebook post about the backlash, claiming the gesture was simply a number three meant to “count my wins” as he had won three matches.
Donohue was a three-day champion en route to the episode and had previously given birth with one finger and two fingers, so it followed.
“I deeply regret this terrible misunderstanding,” he added.
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